Events
2023 Events
Upcoming events
Pain Management through Mind/Body Awareness and Somatic Movement
June 7, 14, 21, 28, July 5, 12, 19, 26 • Northbrook, Illinois
Event Type: In Person, Cancer Wellness Center
Is pain physical or emotional? The answers may surprise you!
As we learned in our first class, our minds affect our bodies and our bodies affect our minds. Together, they can be used in open, caring, powerful ways to improve our emotional, mental and physical wellbeing.
During this class we’ll dive deeper, exploring somatic approaches to use with your acute or chronic pain. We’ll work together with the physical and emotional components of pain to change how you experience the many types of pain possibly encountered throughout your cancer journey.
There’s a saying which states, Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.
Great! But how do we make this a reality? We’ll use BodyMind healing approaches including gentle movement experiments, body awareness techniques, breathing, meditation, embodiment, the principles of aikido, mindfulness, as well as many somatic movement & education skills we started exploring in our first level class.
Attendance at all sessions is recommended but not an absolute necessity.
Previous attendance at any of Rich’s level one courses is required.
Program Dates: Wednesdays, June 7, 14, 21, 28, July 5, 12, 19, 26
Presented by: Richard Sims, MSME, MSMT, CTP
richardesims.com
RSVP below to attend this in-person program.
There is a limit of 20 registrants.
Men Healing Advanced Weekend of Recovery • Empowering Love and Power in Relationships
Alta Lodge, Utah
August 4th-6th, 2023
Event type: In Person
THIS ADVANCED WOR IS OPEN TO ANYONE WHO HAS PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED A LEVEL 1 WOR.
This Advanced Weekend of Recovery will focus on providing participants with the skills to balance and integrate being both loving and powerful in relationships. Trauma can set up survivors of sexual abuse to be trapped in responding in relationships from a submissive or aggressive stance.
Power in relationships generally gets a bad reputation; however, love without power is ineffective, and power without love is manipulative. The skills of embodying both love and power will increase participants’ ability to handle conflicts, be more self-directed, and feel safer to be more open in relationships.
Alta Lodge is nestled in a quaint alpine setting at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, outside Salt Lake City, UT. Whether you’re used to outdoor experiences or more comfortable with staying inside the setting offers a unique environment away from the hustle and hectic nature of our everyday lives. This will be our 30th visit to Alta Lodge, which tells you how much we love the facility.
If you have a partner, they are also welcome and encouraged – but not required – to join you.
Introduction to Trauma Informed Practices for Somatic Movement Professionals
Begins August, 2023
Event type: Online live training (not just pre-recorded lectures)
Course Faculty:
Jane Okondo MSME/T, MA, SEP, RCST
Mark Taylor MSME, MSMT
Rich Sims MSME, MSMT, CTP
Debra Clydesdale MSME, MSMT
Presented by ISMETA, the new trauma Informed Practice Course welcomes ISMETA professional members; somatic movement professionals who are eligible to join ISMETA; and students currently enrolled in a somatic movement training program who have completed a minimum of 250 hours of training.
The training addresses the need to be able to recognize, acknowledge, and work with unresolved trauma when working with clients and students, including the question of how a practitioner’s own unresolved traumatic material may support or inhibit their Somatic Movement practice. Participants will gain basic foundational skills to honor unresolved trauma when working with individual clients or groups of students. The training will introduce the current theoretical framework of the physiology of trauma through experiential learning based on an amalgam of best practices from some of the leading approaches to trauma resolution.
The training will prepare you to:
- Recognize the symptoms of unresolved trauma in the body, both in yourself and in your client.
- Distinguish the sympotoms of unresolved trauma in behavior and movement patterns.
- Cutivate self-regulation when meeting trauma in others.
- Understand how your own self-regulation supports co-regulation in others and in groups.
- Experience the embodied anotomy of the physiological responses to traumatic events or material.
- Understand how your own self-regulation supports co-regulation in others and in groups.
- Experience the embodied anatomy of the physiological responses to traumatic events or material.
- Understand and demonstrate the polyvagal theory from a Somatic Movement perspective.
- Develop, apply and facilitate trauma-informed theory, skills and information within your professional practice.
For more information and to register: Click Here!
Emotional Regulation: Somatic Approaches for Job and Home
September 14th, 2023
Event type: In Person training for officers within the Northeast Multi-regional Training area of Illinois.
This 1 day, 8 hour program has been designed by Richard E. Sims, RSME, RSMT, CTP with guidance by Shahna Richman, former Police Detective, Retired Special Agent, FBI and owner of Richman Forensic & Security Consulting, LLC. The program will provide students (through experiential active learning) effective skills, techniques and tools officers can use with their professional and personal stress, fears, anxiety and trauma. The knowledge and skills taught are designed to be used in an officer’s professional and personal lives and relationships.
Through this 8-hour program, officers will learn Somatic (Body/Mind) tools and approaches to regulate and monitor their professional and personal stress, fears, anxiety, and trauma.
The lessons are designed to increase an officer’s resiliency (the ability to regulate and bounce back from an emotionally charged experience) enabling them to move more smoothly and efficiently from situation to situation. The knowledge and skills taught are created for use in officer’s professional and personal lives and relationships.
This is not a course on theories, but one that teaches concrete approaches and skills through experiential active learning. Students will experience body/mind ways of working with their distress responses, learning to control and regulate these protective functions in conscious productive ways.
Students will gain methods of achieving a calmer, more alert and open state with the ability to effectively respond to a situation instead of just blindly reacting through hyper-vigilance.
Students will also learn skills and techniques based on the latest science involving physical pain and how the body and mind can regulate the pain that influences their emotional states.
Some topics covered:
• Management and Regulation of Stress, Anxiety, Fear and Trauma
• Self-Care and Officer Wellness
• Professional and Personal Relationships
• Resiliency
• Performance Enhancement
• De-escalation
• Physical Pain Management
• Reduction of Officer Suicide
This is achieved by using Somatic Education, Body Awareness, Mindfulness, Breathing, Meditation, Embodiment and the principles of Aikido. These disciplines have been specifically combined to deal with the professional and personal issues encountered by first responders and members of the law enforcement community.
The lessons are designed to be used professionally and personally.
Emotional Regulation: Somatic Approaches for Job and Home
October 16th, 2023
Event type: In Person training for officers within the Northeast Multi-regional Training area of Illinois.
This 1 day, 8 hour program has been designed by Richard E. Sims, RSME, RSMT, CTP with guidance by Shahna Richman, former Police Detective, Retired Special Agent, FBI and owner of Richman Forensic & Security Consulting, LLC. The program will provide students (through experiential active learning) effective skills, techniques and tools officers can use with their professional and personal stress, fears, anxiety and trauma. The knowledge and skills taught are designed to be used in an officer’s professional and personal lives and relationships.
Through this 8-hour program, officers will learn Somatic (Body/Mind) tools and approaches to regulate and monitor their professional and personal stress, fears, anxiety, and trauma.
The lessons are designed to increase an officer’s resiliency (the ability to regulate and bounce back from an emotionally charged experience) enabling them to move more smoothly and efficiently from situation to situation. The knowledge and skills taught are created for use in officer’s professional and personal lives and relationships.
This is not a course on theories, but one that teaches concrete approaches and skills through experiential active learning. Students will experience body/mind ways of working with their distress responses, learning to control and regulate these protective functions in conscious productive ways.
Students will gain methods of achieving a calmer, more alert and open state with the ability to effectively respond to a situation instead of just blindly reacting through hyper-vigilance.
Students will also learn skills and techniques based on the latest science involving physical pain and how the body and mind can regulate the pain that influences their emotional states.
Some topics covered:
• Management and Regulation of Stress, Anxiety, Fear and Trauma
• Self-Care and Officer Wellness
• Professional and Personal Relationships
• Resiliency
• Performance Enhancement
• De-escalation
• Physical Pain Management
• Reduction of Officer Suicide
This is achieved by using Somatic Education, Body Awareness, Mindfulness, Breathing, Meditation, Embodiment and the principles of Aikido. These disciplines have been specifically combined to deal with the professional and personal issues encountered by first responders and members of the law enforcement community.
The lessons are designed to be used professionally and personally.
Level 1 Weekend of Recovery
Alta Lodge, Utah
September 18th-20th, 2023
Event type: In Person
Weekend of Recovery (WOR) Retreats provide support for any male – 18 or older – who is a survivor of sexual trauma as a child and/or as an adult. Healing in community is a powerful way to lessen isolation and reduce feelings of shame.
Alumni of WOR retreats report the experience contributed to easing their suffering; to enabling higher functioning; to facilitating healthier relationships with friends, partners, children; to inspiring activism; and to diminishing the cycle of victimization.
You are encouraged to register as our weekends frequently fill quickly. Registration will open on May 19th, 2023 and remain open until Sept 5th, 2023.
Ongoing events & programs
Healing Outreach for Men Everywhere
Ongoing
MenHealing initiated the project when we realized there was an opportunity to place information about the impact of sexual assault and resources for recovery onto computer tables issued to incarcerated individuals in this country. We began in Ohio, where our Co-Directors live, and in September 2021 our first set of outreach materials were placed onto 45,000 tablets in the Ohio state prison system.
HOME is a collaborative effort between the MH team, Weekend of Recovery alumni, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, and experts in the community who are working with this population. The goals are:
- to provide information, insight, and hope for healing to some of our most vulnerable citizens
- expand our collaborative efforts to any state or Federal system that is interested
- create a free library of user-friendly information for distribution beyond the prison system to community groups, public health agencies, and beyond.
Past events 2023
Somatic Movement Summit
Explore Fluid Connected Movement Practices for Flexibility, Vitality & Embodied Self-Knowledge
June 5th – June 9th, 2023
Event type: Virtual Conference
Presented by The Shift Network and Living Somatics:
I’m happy to be asked to present for a forth year in a row!
This powerful gathering will feature many of today’s highly sought-after somatic movement experts and teachers — including Lavinia Plonka, Paul Linden, PhD, Eleanor Criswell Hanna, Susan Harper, Dr. Martha Eddy, Don Hanlon Johnson, PhD, Richard Sims and more.
This life-enhancing Somatic Movement Summit will reveal the medicinal art and power of embodied motion. I hope you’ll participate in this online gathering presented by The Shift Network. Prepare to be transformed!
RSVP here for the Somatic Movement Summit — at no charge: COMING SOON!
Connecting Hearts & Minds Summit • A Cross Cultural Collaboration About Treating Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse
June 7
Event Type: Zoom
A Consultative fact-finding collaboration between therapists in the United States and South Africa who work with sexually traumatized men.
In 2017, a chance meeting between Elvis Mvulane, a Social Entrepreneur in South Africa, and Sandra Forti, a trauma therapist with the MenHealing organization in the United States, began a conversation about a shared passion for humanitarian efforts in their respective countries. Over time they became inspired to bring the model of Weekends of Recovery and a variety of other resources to the significant population of men in S Africa who have untreated sexual trauma.
As we begin this initiative, we recognize several very important things:
- ➢ there are already many trauma-informed therapists in South Africa who work with sexual trauma survivors. We want to invite your involvement and expertise!
- ➢ The cultures of the US and SA have many similarities, but also many differences. Those differences have to be understood and addressed by the MenHealing team so that we can join together and create something amazing.
- ➢ We want to introduce you to the MenHealing Weekend of Recovery model and then get your participation in critiquing and re-imagining the model to make culturally relevant adaptions.This summit is an invitation to join us in a discussion about the problem of male sexual abuse in South Africa. It is an opportunity to listen to one another, learn from one another, and join together in creating a South African model that can enhance the lives of as many men as we can reach.Most importantly, we want to develop a South African team to join us in facilitating Weekends of Recovery.
There will be a breakout session during the summit with an option for 3 topics. You will have a chance to choose which topic you want to know more about and they are as follows:
- MenHealing and the Weekends of Recovery. This breakout room will provide a chance to take a deeper look into the Weekends of Recovery, the MenHealing organization, the resources we have developed for survivors, the research component to our organization, peer support groups, etc.
- Cultural Diversity. We anticipate a different challenge regarding cultural diversity in South Africa than the challenges we face in the US. This breakout room will provide an opportunity to begin a discussion of the differences and move us toward re-tooling the weekends in whatever way is needed to create programing that addresses the needs of the men in South Africa.
- The Role of Somatic Awareness, movement, music and art. In this breakout room you will have a chance to talk to our seasoned experts in these areas about how they use these tools and their importance in the process of recovery.
Expressive Therapies Summit Midwest with a featured track of Healing in Motion: Embodied and Somatic Approaches to Healing
June 23rd through June 25th • Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Chicago – North Shore Conference Center, 9599 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL
Event Type: Live
Coping with Chronic Pain without Pharmaceuticals
Thursday, March 23rd • 10:30 – Noon CST • Niles Family Services, 999 Civic Center Drive, Niles, IL 60714
Event Type: Live
Registration and more information to follow as final touches are added to the presentation!
Empowerment for Cancer: A Somatic Embodied Approach to Strengthening and Healing the Mind and Body
March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 11 • Northbrook, Illinois
Event Type: In Person, Cancer Wellness Center
People often accept that how we think, affects how we feel. But few consider that how we feel and ‘do’ things in our body affects our minds. In this class, you’ll learn to use your Body and Mind together in an open, caring, powerful way to improve your emotional, mental and physical well-being.
Through experimentation and play we’ll explore the connections between your body, emotions and distress responses. You’ll learn BodyMind approaches which include gentle movement experiments, body awareness, breathing, meditation, embodiment, somatic education, mindfulness, and the principles of the non-violent art of aikido.
Attendance at all sessions is recommended but not an absolute necessity.
Registration ends February 28th at 8:00 pm. Register Here
Lights Out Volleyball LOV x Evanston Winter Clinic
February 10th, 2023
Event type: In Person Evanston, Illinois
Join the Lights Out Volleyball team and players to teach some fun somatic approaches to stress, fear and anxiety that can use not only preparing for and during a game but also in the game of life!
VISION:
We envision a world in which all people have the opportunity to be active citizens of humanity through the competitive team sport of volleyball.
MISSION:
We provide equal access opportunities to the sport of volleyball and advocate for athletes often overlooked, raising the human consciousness of sports and improving our communities.
For more information: LightsOutVolleyball.org
Lights Out Volleyball LOV x KCS Youth Winter Volleyball Clinic
February 11th, 2023
Event type: In Person, Des Plaines, Illinois
Join the Lights Out Volleyball team and players to teach some fun somatic approaches to stress, fear and anxiety that can use not only preparing for and during a game but also in the game of life!
VISION:
We envision a world in which all people have the opportunity to be active citizens of humanity through the competitive team sport of volleyball.
MISSION:
We provide equal access opportunities to the sport of volleyball and advocate for athletes often overlooked, raising the human consciousness of sports and improving our communities.
For more information: LightsOutVolleyball.org
Mental Health continuing education workshop.
Jan 12, 26, Feb 16, Mar 9 • Ottowa, CA, Tampa, FL, Chicago, IL
Event Type: Virtual Zoom
Dr. Amy Ellis and Richard Sims MSME, MSMT, in conjunction with MenHealing, lead a series of continuing education mental health workshops bringing their work to the therapists connected to CFS Ottowa.
The first workshop is led by Dr. Amy Ellis, psychologist and a professor at NSU Florida. Dr. Ellis will present her Yale research that looked at the outcomes and effectiveness of virtual supports groups (focusing specifically on motivational interviewing and gender affirming groups).
The next three workshops are led by Richard Sims and will focus on his somatic body of work which is used virtually and in person through MenHealing and his private practice with populations ranging from survivors of sexual abuse, cancer survivors, first responders and those looking for help with their stress, fear, anxiety and trauma.
2022 Events
Men Healing Day of Recovery
Saturday, November 5th.
2022 Fall Day of Connection
This single-day event will be conducted virtually via the MenHealing confidential Zoom platform. This virtual gathering is offered to provide a safe space for male survivors who are isolated or wanting to enhance or grow their connections with other survivors. Participants will have an opportunity to engage in interactive and experiential activities that are designed to reduce isolation, promote connection, and build community. You are encouraged to register early as space is limited and we expect a high demand.
Level 1 Weekend of Recovery
Hope Springs, Ohio
October 21-23rd, 2022
Hope Springs Retreat Center is located in Ohio’s Southern Appalachian foothills providing intentional space for mindful, creative, and healthy private group retreats. The atmosphere of Hope Springs is relaxed, intimate and informal. This will be our 14th Weekend of Recovery that we have conducted at Hope Springs since 2007. Registration will open on June 15th, 2022 and will remain open until October 7th, 2022 and will be limited to a maximum of 22 participants.
The registration fee is inclusive of lodging, meals (Friday lunch thru Sunday lunch), and all program fees. If you are unable to pay the entire cost, under our “Pay What You Can” philosophy we allow you to submit payment for an amount that better reflects your budget.
Men Healing Advanced Weekend of Recovery • Exploring Our Connections with Self and Others.
Alta Lodge, Utah
August 12th-14th.
THIS ADVANCED WOR IS OPEN TO ANYONE WHO HAS PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED A LEVEL 1 WOR.
Alta Lodge is nestled in a quaint alpine setting at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, outside Salt Lake City, UT. This will be our 28th visit to Alta Lodge, which tells you how much we love the facility. Registration will open on April 12th, 2022 and remain open until July 27th, 2022 and will be limited to a maximum of 28 participants.
The registration fee is inclusive of lodging, meals (Friday lunch thru Sunday lunch), and all program fees. If you are unable to pay the entire cost, we allow you to submit payment for an amount that better reflects your budget.
Professional Pathways in Somatic Movement: Building Knowledge, Skills & Practices
April 29th – May 1st.
Join the ISMETA (International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association) Board of Directors in celebrating and developing our profession
Featuring the work of ISMETA Approved Training Programs, Affiliated Professional
Organizations, ISMETA Board Committees and Special Subject Experts.
By attending this conference, you will:
- Gain access to exemplary practices used by leading professionals in the field of Somatic Movement Education and Therapy
- Participate in highly experiential guided somatic activities
- Deepen your understanding of how to excel as a professional Somatic Movement Practitioner
- Learn about best practices being developed in our field
- Have the opportunity to engage and network with current and upcoming professionals
Somatic Movement Summit • Drop into your body to ease Trauma, Release Tension & Balance Emotions
June 6th – 10th, 2022
Presented by The Shift Network and Living Somatics:
I’m happy to be asked to present for a third year in a row during three different sessions!
This powerful gathering will feature more than 35 of today’s highly sought-after somatic movement experts and teachers — including Lavinia Plonka, Paul Linden, PhD, Dr. Ruby Gibson, Eleanor Criswell Hanna, Mia Segal, Dr. Martha Eddy, Suresha Hill, Banafsheh Sayyad, Nikki Myers, Don Hanlon Johnson, PhD, Anat Baniel, Richard Sims and more.
They’ll be guiding you through simple somatic practices to move you from trauma, anxiety, fatigue, or depletion into easeful states infused with vitality and relaxed alertness.
This life-enhancing Somatic Movement Summit will reveal the medicinal art and power of embodied motion. I hope you’ll participate in this online gathering presented by The Shift Network. Prepare to be transformed!
RSVP here for the Somatic Movement Summit — at no charge: https://shiftnetwork.infusionsoft.com/go/sms22/a21233
Men Healing Day of Recovery
Saturday, March 5th.
2022 Spring Day of Connection
This single-day event will be conducted virtually via the MenHealing confidential Zoom platform. Registration is open now thru February 19, 2022. This virtual gathering is offered to provide a safe space for male survivors who are isolated or wanting to enhance or grow their connections with other survivors. Participants will have an opportunity to engage in interactive and experiential activities that are designed to reduce isolation, promote connection, and build community. You are encouraged to register early as space is limited and we expect a high demand.
Voices of Healing: Trans & Nonbinary Survivors SPEAK OUT
Following the success of MenHealing’s recent collaborative storytelling event series, Voices of Healing: Trans & Nonbinary Survivors SPEAK OUT is a new collaborative effort between FORGE and MenHealing designed to support, uplift, and foster the resilience of trans and nonbinary survivors of sexual victimization. This project focuses on using creative expression to empower survivors to share their story, connect with others, and enhance healing for both themselves and the broader community.
The SPEAK OUT will showcase diverse stories of survivorship and healing from trans and nonbinary survivors who have experienced any kind of sexual victimization. We are seeking narratives that can be shared through multiple modalities, from spoken word to dance to song.
Trans and nonbinary survivors of all gender identities and experiences are encouraged to submit their pitches. 10 presenters will be selected to participate in a series of trauma-informed group workshops to hone their story in preparation of debuting their story to an online audience of supporters at two Premiere Events on March 31 and April 1, 2022.
2021 Events
Cancer Wellness Center
Monday, Nov 29th. 6:00p – 7:30p CST
Man to Man: Empowerment for Cancer
A Somatic Embodied Approach to Strengthening and Healing the Mind & Body
Stressed About College? • Stress Less, A Workshop for your next big move.
Presented by: Richard E Sims, RSME, RSMT, CTP
August 3, 5, 10, 12 • Live Session • 9:00a-10:00a CDT
Whether you’re in a different part the the country or close to home, this exciting shift to college can also be filled with worries, concerns and stress.
In his new workshop, Rich leads incoming college students into his work in Somatic (Body) Education, Embodiment, Mindfulness and the principles of the Art of Aikido, teaching ways of working with your stress, fears and anxiety.
By working with your body, mind, and personal distress responses, we’ll explore ways of bringing the body into your personal caregiving toolbox to use throughout your upcoming college years.
Tools and approaches to help achieve:
- The “personal power” and confidence needed to work with your individual challenges.
- The ability to wisely respond instead of blindly reacting to stress or insecurities.
- Approaches to stop overthinking and take action towards enjoying the years to come!
- BodyMind tools for stress, to use through college and the rest of your life.
These are tools and approaches designed to play with the stress, fears and anxiety of heading off to school!
Four group sessions* August 3, 5, 10, 12 • 9:00a-10:00a
The Community House in Winnetka, 620 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, IL 60093
Cost: $200
*Individual sessions available for those who would like to work on specific issues or in a more comfortable setting.
For registration email Rich directly at Rich@RichardESims.com or call: 312-399-8915.
Physical & Emotional Regulation:
Somatic tools and approaches for stress, fear, anxiety and trauma on the job and at home.
Presented by: Richard E Sims, RSME, RSMT, CTP
Evanston Police Department (Evanston, Illinois)
June – July 2021 • Live, In-house Sessions
A multi day program designed to teach officers, through active learning, skills and tools to effectively work with their stress, fears, anxiety and trauma. This new somatic knowledge can be used in the officer’s professional and personal lives and relationships.
Somatic (Body/Mind) tools and approaches to regulate and monitor their stress, fears, anxiety and trauma. This work also helps increase an officer’s resiliency (the ability to regulate and bounce back from an emotionally charged experience) enabling them to move smoothly, clearly and efficiently from situation to situation both professionally and personally.
This is achieved through a combination of Somatic Education (including Being in Movement® mindbody education), Body Awareness, Mindfulness, Breathing, Meditation, Embodiment and the principles of the art of Aikido. These disciplines have been combined to work with with the professional and personal issues encountered by those that serve as public servants and first responders.
Somatic Empowerment at work and at home.
Pepsico
May 27th, 2021 • Zoom Session • 11:00 am CST
During this workshop entitled Somatic Empowerment at work and at home, Rich leads the people at Pepsico into his work in Somatic (Body) Education and Awareness, Embodiment, Mindfulness and the principles of the non-violent art of aikido. He uses these skills to teach ways of working with our stress, fears anxieties and trauma.
By working with the body and mind, in combination with your distress responses, you’ll learn ways of bringing the body into your personal caregiving toolbox at home or for the benefit of yourself and the people you spend time with at work.
We’ll explore tools and approaches to help you achieve the “personal power” needed when working with your individual challenges. They’ll also serve as ways to achieve the calm, open, caring power necessary to live out an empowered, giving life.
Somatic Movement Summit • Lifelong Practices for Vitality, Fluidity & Healing
April 19th – 23rd, 2021
Presented by The Shift Network and Living Somatics:
The Somatic Movement Summit is a Free 5-day online event taking place April 19-23.
You’ll be guided into the beautiful world of conscious, embodied motion to discover lifelong practices for vitality, fluidity, and healing.
The diverse array of seasoned teachers and practitioners will provide insights on the plentiful benefits of somatic movement as well as simple ways to self-regulate your own health systems, including micro-movements, grounding, centering, meditation, and breathing.
The beauty of increasing your body awareness through somatic movement is that it’s so immediate and easy. Mastering somatic movement doesn’t require you to be flexible, have years of formal training or advanced yoga abilities, or visit an enlightened master on a mountaintop in order to get started.
Thank you for joining us for this groundbreaking and experiential event — may it be nourishing and deliciously enlivening for you.
I hope you enjoy this special summit!
Men’s Story Project: Survivor’s Healing Journeys
March March 21st, 24th, 30th and April 1st, 2021
Presented by MenHealing:
We are seeking authentic stories from male survivors who are ready to inspire other survivors, through the power of sharing their own healing journeys.
One in six men experience sexual victimization in their lifetime. But many men don’t tell anyone for years, don’t seek help, and don’t speak about it publicly. Many men don’t even view that what was done to them makes them a survivor.
Harmful beliefs about masculinity often interfere with healing for male sexual victimization survivors – for example, the common myth that “real men” shouldn’t seek help or mental health care.
In this public storytelling and community dialogue series, male survivors from across Georgia will have the opportunity to publicly share stories about their own journeys of healing from sexual victimization, with a live online audience. The stories will be followed by an audience-presenter dialogue.
This project is led by MenHealing and the Men’s Story Project.
Presenters will also be able to opt to have their live stories recorded and put online, as part of MenHealing’s “Voices of Healing” video series, and the Men’s Story Project YouTube channel.
Creativity and the use of diverse mediums are welcome (e.g., poetry, prose, monologues, music), and the stories can have accompanying visuals (e.g., photos, paintings, video art, live or filmed dance pieces with original or licensed music).
Contributions of all kinds are welcome: serious, meaningful use of humor, etc. – the main theme is authenticity. Our aim is to create powerful public moments of truth-sharing and dialogue that challenge the invisibility and isolation of male survivors, and build community.
We invite submissions from men and folks who identify with masculinity in any way, who are ages 18+, survivors of sexual victimization in childhood or as adults, of diverse race/ethnicities, sexual orientations, religions, etc.
Somatic Empowerment in Education: Training for Stress, Fear, Anxiety and Trauma
Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Professional Developement
March 22nd, 2020 • Zoom Session • 1:00 pm CST
In his upcoming workshop entitled Somatic Empowerment in Education: Training for Stress, Fear, Anxiety and Trauma, Rich leads us into his work in Somatic (Body) Education, Embodiment, Mindfulness and the principles of the non-violent art of aikido, teaching us ways of working with our stress, fears anxieties and trauma.
By working with the body and mind, in combination with your distress responses, you’ll learn ways of bringing the body into your personal caregiving toolbox that can be used throughout the noise and excitement of your day personally or for the benefit of the children and people you serve.
We’ll explore tools and approaches to help you achieve the “personal power” needed when working with your individual challenges in or out of the school environment. They’ll also serve as ways to achieve the calm, open, caring power necessary to live out an empowered, giving life.
Aiki AVP Session (Alternatives to Violence Project) & ETP (Embodied Transforming Power) Online Education Circle
March 13th – 14th, 2021 • Zoom Session
Two days of exploration with the Somatic teaching of Paul Linden and Richard Sims exploring how their Somatic, Embodiment and Mindfulness practices are used in Peacemaking, Conflict and De-Escalation of charged encounters. Click here to find out more information about the Alternatives to Violence Project.
Engaging Embodiment: Somatic Applications for Health, Education & Social Justice
March 6th, 2021 • Online
Somatic Movement in Education • A special panel discussion with Richard Sims, Martha Eddy, Emory M. Moore, Jill Green and Susan Bauer
Presented by ISMETA (The International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association) & Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Six experts in the field of Somatic Movement discuss the vital need for Somatic Movement across the Educational Arena. Each panelist has extensive experience in weaving Somatic Movement into Professional Development, K-12, and/or Higher Education and will focus on the vital need for Somatic Movement Education to support Social Emotional Learning and other important aspects of development. Click Here for Info
Engaging Embodiment: Somatic Applications for Health, Education & Social Justice
March 7th, 2021 • Online
Somatic Education & Empowerment: Working with Sexual Abuse and Trauma
Presented by ISMETA (The International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association) & Pacifica Graduate Institute.
In the U.S. alone, one in four women and one in six men are survivors of sexual abuse. One day, whether planned or not, we’ll work with a survivor of Sexual Trauma. As professionals whose practices revolve around the body, it’s important to recognize and learn about the special care needed, to serve a client with a history of sexual abuse.
Most of us accept that Trauma is experienced in our bodies and minds. This is especially true with sexual trauma. Talking alone simple doesn’t reach the body. In my work with MenHealing (male identified sexual abuse survivors) and my private practice, one of my specialties is working with survivor’s stress, fear, anxiety and trauma with a “Bottom up” and “Top down” whole body approach.
During this experiential workshop, we’ll explore the somatic approaches I couple with distress responses to help survivors work with their trauma while gaining the power necessary to live out joy-filled, open, meaningful lives.
Through physical experiments, discussions and explorations, we’ll experience some of the somatic approaches I use to help my clients empower themselves on their paths too healing.
These lessons can be quickly incorporated into your existing somatic toolbox, rounding out your practice to include some trauma-sensitive approaches your clients can enjoy.
My goal is to teach clear tools and approaches that can be used to lead to centered, calm, powerful, caring, open lives where you are free to explore and experience life to its fullest. Click Here for Info
Engaging Embodiment: Somatic Applications for Health, Education & Social Justice
March 3rd-7th, 2021 • Online
Presented by ISMETA (The International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association) & Pacifica Graduate Institute.
ISMETA’s vision is to transform the world and ourselves through conscious movement. Through our organizational partnerships and involvement in international conferences and symposiums, we see the innovative contributions that somatic professionals are making in healthcare, education and social justice. ISMETA is excited to provide an opportunity through this conference for us all to share our experience, strength and wisdom in these three areas.
This conference will focus on ways somatic practitioners use conscious movement to help people enhance their functioning and body-mind integration in healthcare settings, in schools, and in communities. In particular, the conference wishes to highlight innovative strategies, novel applications, and overlooked populations when considering how somatic movement is evolving across boundaries and cultures to deepen our understanding and experience of embodiment. Click Here for Info
Aiki AVP Session Intensive (Alternatives to Violence Project) & ETP (Embodied Transforming Power)
January 10th – February 28th, 2021 • Zoom Session
During this 8 week course Richard Sims takes a deep dive into his Somatic, Embodiment and Mindfulness practices and how they pertain to Peacemaking, Conflict and De-Escalation of charged encounters. Click here to find out more information about the Alternatives to Violence Project.
2020 Events
Somatic Empowerment in Education: Training for Stress, Fear, Anxiety and Trauma
Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Professional Developement
December 14th, 2020 • Zoom Session • 1:00 pm CST
In his upcoming workshop entitled Somatic Empowerment in Education: Training for Stress, Fear, Anxiety and Trauma, Rich leads us into his work in Somatic (Body) Education, Embodiment, Mindfulness and the principles of the non-violent art of aikido, teaching us ways of working with our stress, fears anxieties and trauma.
By working with the body and mind, in combination with your distress responses, you’ll learn ways of bringing the body into your personal caregiving toolbox that can be used throughout the noise and excitement of your day personally or for the benefit of the children and people you serve.
We’ll explore tools and approaches to help you achieve the “personal power” needed when working with your individual challenges in or out of the school environment. They’ll also serve as ways to achieve the calm, open, caring power necessary to live out an empowered, giving life.
Burwell Aikido Sessions: Preparing to Succeed
December 3rd, 2020 • Zoom Session • 19:00 pm (GMT) – 1:00 pm (CST) 2:00 pm (EST)
The gold medalist at any event in the Olympics, doesn’t just show up and win. It takes years of dedicated training to prepare for that moment. In other words, giving your best doesn’t just happen by chance. In this week’s Burwell online session we are going to look at ways in which we can improve our performance in the race of life.
With this in mind, in this week’s Burwell Online session, we will have 3 guest presenters, Patrick Carson, Richard Sims and Jack Kangas, all long term aikidoka and students of Paul Linden’s ‘Being In Movement’ work. They will share some techniques and ideas that have been useful personally and which can be used to help others on a similar journey.
Think of phrases like ’Physician, heal thyself’ and ‘Cobblers, should heel their own shoes’ and you will get the drift. I think the whole point of aikido is to develop yourself and at a time where solo practise is the only choice for most of us, finding ways of looking within and becoming more mindful, has never been more relevant.
All are welcome and if you have not been before, then we have a truly international community and everyone has the opportunity to add their voice. It costs nothing but your interest and energy. Sessions start at 19:00pm (GMT) on Thursday. Sessions are recorded and subsequently posted on YouTube. For more information on Burwell Aikido click here. For a link to previous sessions on YouTube click here.
Aiki AVP Session (Alternatives to Violence Project) & ETP (Embodied Transforming Power)
November 15th, 2020 • Zoom Session
During this session Richard Sims will explore, teach and play with the Somatic, Embodiment and Mindfulness practices he teaches that can be used in efforts of Peacemaking, Conflict and De-Escalation of charged encounters. Click here to find out more information about the Alternatives to Violence Project.
The Embodiment Conference
October 14th-25th, 2020 • A free Online Event
An online conference and more than that…
a kickstart to a global movement.
Embodiment is about making friends with your body, and feeling at home in your skin. The conference gives you free access to the top teachers in the field, offers a community of support, and will be a huge global party to be remembered.
Embodiment is an antidote to the violence, disconnection and overwhelm caused by numbing, and a return to our shared humanity. For this reason, our goal is to make the 20’s the embodiment decade, and help humanity thrive. The Embodiment Conference is a university, a fiesta and a catalyst. In a cynical age this is a bold vision, yes, but if not now when?
During the conference I’ll be participating in the Trauma and Social Change Chanel along with many of the world’s leaders in the Somatic Field.
TEC will again be a uniquely rich opportunity for diverse learning, and will not only help you to come home to the anchor of your body in a chaotic world: to energise and inspire you personally, but also to connect with others for whom the body matters too. TEC will use global online community, to create local communities and real-world action.
- Learn from the leaders and innovators in the field
- Gain deep personal insights (we will provide a platform to help with this)
- Deepen and reboot your own practice
- Easily learn about many new areas
- Build real relationships and gain a community of support that will continue long after the event (online and in-person).
- Have a really good time doing all this 🙂
Cancer Wellness Center
Jan 21, 28, Feb 4, 18, 25, Mar 3, 10, 24 • Northbrook, Illinois
Empowerment for Cancer: A Somatic Embodied Approach to Strengthening and Healing the Mind & Body
People often accept that how we think, affects how we feel. But few consider how we feel and ‘do’ things, in our body, also affects our minds.
In this class you’ll learn to use your Body and Mind together in an open, caring, powerful way to improve your emotional, mental and physical well-being.
Through experimentation and play we’ll explore the connections between your body, emotions and distress responses. You’ll learn BodyMind approaches which include gentle movement experiments, body awareness, breathing, meditation, embodiment, somatic education, mindfulness, and the principles of the non-violent art of aikido. Click Here for Info
ISMETA – International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association
Mar 24, 1:00 pm EST, Mar 31, 10:00 am EST, April 4, 1:00 pm EST, April 12, 10:00 am
Somatic Café
Join us in our virtual gathering place to stay engaged, learn something new, or simply connect during these challenging times.
Please note we have a limited capacity. If you are unable to register because this date is full we suggest you try to register for a different Tuesday. (Open for ISMETA members only) Click Here for Info
Cancer Wellness Center, Online Class
Wednesdays March 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28 May 5, 12, 2o. 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Virtual: Empowerment for Cancer (Level 2): A Somatic Embodied Approach to Strengthening and Healing the Mind & Body
During this level 2 virtual class we’ll take a deeper look into the Somatic (Body) work and other practices we explored during the first level of this course. This deeper study and experimentation will help you further develop your ability to use your Body and Mind together in an open, caring, powerful way to improve your emotional, mental and physical well-being.
We’ll continue to explore BodyMind approaches including gentle movement experiments, body awareness, breathing, meditation, embodiment, somatic education, mindfulness, and the principles of the non-violent art of aikido.
These have been combined into a class that’s aimed at everyone touched by cancer and deals directly with the stress, fear, anxiety and trauma often faced during these challenging times in and ease going, fun, safe, supportive environment.
Completion of the first level class required.
Program will follow a structured progression, attendance to all sessions is suggested.
Cancer Wellness Center, Online Class
Wednesdays April 15, 22, 29 May 6, 13, 20, 27. 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Virtual: Empowerment for Cancer (Level 1): A Somatic Embodied Approach to Strengthening and Healing the Mind & Body
In this virtual class, you will learn to use your Body and Mind together in an open, caring, powerful way to improve your emotional, mental and physical well-being. Through experimentation and play we’ll explore the connections between your body, emotions and distress responses.
You will learn BodyMind approaches which include gentle movement experiments, body awareness, breathing, meditation, embodiment, somatic education, mindfulness, and the principles of the non-violent art of aikido. Attendance at all sessions is recommended as class follows a structured progression. Click Here for Info
Somatic Movement Summit
A free online event. April 27th – May 1st
Embodied Practices for Wellbeing, Resilience & Optimal Aging.
I’m honored to be among more than 40 of today’s highly sought-after somatic movement experts and teachers — including Sondra Fraleigh, Paul Linden, Lavinia Plonka, Eleanor Criswell Hanna, Dr. Stephen Porges, Dr. Martha Eddy, Bernadette Pleasant, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, and Jeong Myung Gim.
We’ll be sharing simple somatic practices to move you from stress, anxiety, fatigue, or depletion into easeful states infused with vitality and relaxed alertness.
During this healing 5-day event, you’ll discover:
- Ways to nourish your nervous system through centering and connective movement
- How embodied movement can help dissipate stress, anxiety, fear, and trauma
- Pathways to strengthen immunity, improve heart rate variability, and natural breathing
- The connection between movement and personal power
- Embodied movement for social change
- Ways you can apply conscious motion on a daily basis to provide ease around challenging and stressful situations
- Somatic strategies to address pain
- Somatic methods including Hanna Somatics, Feldenkrais Method, Rolfing, dance, Somatic Yoga, Body-Mind Centering®, Somatic Psychology, martial arts, and Continuum Movement
- How somatic movement enhances resilience, wellbeing, and happiness. Click Here for Free Registration
Being In Movement with Paul Linden
(Moved Online due to COVID-19)
June 9th – 14th • Benicassim, Spain
Empowerment & Embodied Peacemaking
THE 6-DAY WORKSHOP will focus on a number of areas of embodiment education:
Relaxation and stress management, task improvement, trauma work, assertiveness and conflict management, and hands-on body work. The six-day sequence will teach an integrated understanding, and whichever area you intend to work with, familiarity with the other areas will deepen and strengthen your understanding of how to apply embodiment in your chosen area.
This intensive workshop is meant for:
- Coaches, psychotherapists, bodyworkers, body-therapists, who want to gain depth and new effective tools to accompany their clients / (trauma) patients into embodied empowerment and being able to listen to their body and emotions in a whole new way.
- Practitioners of Aikido and all other martial arts, Yoga etc. who want to experience and learn very practically how to apply their arts in everyday life and for healing.
- Activists, educators, teachers, practitioners of Nonviolent Communication and similar who want to find the peace in their mind and body before and while having a difficult conversation, conflict etc.
- Activists who want to embody peace even in the most challenging situations
Dancers, actors, performance artists who want to learn a very effective way to center, gaining clarity of their body and emotion. - Any person interested in learning how to be centered, calm and loving and how to teach this to others. Click Here for Info
MenHealing Advanced Weekend of Recovery
(Moved Online due to COVID-19)
August 7th – 9th • Alta Lodge, Alta, Utah
Advanced Weekend of Recovery “Embodying Love and Power in Relationships”
This “Intimacy and Relationship” Advanced Weekend of Recovery will focus on providing participants with the skills to balance and integrate being both loving and powerful in relationships. Trauma can set up survivors of sexual victimization to be trapped in responding in relationships from a submissive or aggressive stance. Power in relationships generally gets a bad reputation; however, love without power is ineffective, and power without love is manipulative. The skills of embodying both love and power will increase participants’ ability to handle conflicts, be more self-directed, and feel safer to be more open in relationships.
(Facilitator MenHealing) Click Here for Info
2019 Events
March 28th – May 21st • Being In Movement Online Lab
How to Facilitate Whole-Person Embodiment
Hosted and Created by Maud Raber and Embodied Potential
An 8 week in-depth dive into the Being In Movement® MindBody Education method with its founder Paul Linden and 8 of his most seasoned practitioners worldwide. (Senior Faculty Member/Practitioner)
May 18 • Living Room Sessions
Stress and Empowerment for Parents
An intimate at home gathering of people interested in learning how Somatic and Mindfulness Education can be used in their everyday lives.
July 11th, 18th and 25th • Cancer Wellness
Empowerment, Healing and Moving Forward: A Somatic Embodied Approach
Cancer Wellness Center
Improve your emotional, mental and physical well-being by learning to use your body and mind together (BodyMind). By exploring the connection between your body, emotions and distress responses, you will gain the strength needed for the many paths of your cancer journey. You will learn BodyMind approaches including: gentle movement experiments, body awareness, breathing, meditation, embodiment, somatic education, mindfulness, and the principles of the non-violent art of aikido. Attendance at all sessions is recommended. Click Here for Info
August 9th – 11th • Advanced Weekend of Recovery
Calming the Conflicts Inside: Tools for Self Compassion and Healing
Created and organized by MenHealing
This Advanced Weekend of Recovery is designed to help male identified survivors of sexual assault develop a conscious and healing relationship with the difficult emotions of shame, guilt, depression, anxiety, anger among others. We utilize mindfulness skills, body awareness and empowerment, experiential activities, music, art, outdoor exploration, movement, play, and small-group processing to reach these goals.
(Facilitator MenHealing) Click Here for Info
Sept 16, 23, Oct 14, 21, 28, Nov 4, 11 • Cancer Wellness
Empowerment for Cancer: A Somatic Embodied Approach to Strengthening and Healing the Mind & Body • Cancer Wellness Center
People often accept that how we think, affects how we feel. But few consider how we feel and ‘do’ things, in our body, also affects our minds.
In this class you’ll learn to use your Body and Mind together in an open, caring, powerful way to improve your emotional, mental and physical well-being.
Through experimentation and play we’ll explore the connections between your body, emotions and distress responses. You’ll learn BodyMind approaches which include gentle movement experiments, body awareness, breathing, meditation, embodiment, somatic education, mindfulness, and the principles of the non-violent art of aikido.
November 9th • St. Mary Church
Tools and Approaches for Stress, Fear & Anxiety
In this introductory workshop, Rich leads us into his work, teaching us ways of working with our stress, fears and anxieties.
We’ll explore tools and approaches that will help you achieve the “personal power” needed when working with individual challenges. They’ll also serve as ways to achieve the calm, open, caring power necessary to live out an empowered giving life for yourself and those around you.
Rich teaches these same approaches, tools and skills to teens having problems at school or home, people dealing with the strain of a cancer diagnosis, work related stress, or sexual abuse. Some of the organizations he serves include MenHealing, Youth-Guidance/BAM and the Cancer Wellness Center.
If you’ve ever been affected by the stress, fears and anxiety life brings, come join us! Together, we’ll explore and learn in a fun, safe environment. There are no strenuous exercises, only gentle movement experiments and play.
Download the event flyer here: Richard Sims Somatic Flyer St. Marys
For more information contact Deacon Ramon Navarro at rnavarro@stmaryevanston.org
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